Traditionally, the most prevalent waste receptacle for bedridden patients in hospitals was the bedpan. While it was quite useful as a receptacle for most ordinary wastes such as urine and feces, it was less than satisfactory when an enema had been administered to the patient. In order for hospital personnel to administer an enema the patient must be either reclining on his side or on his back. After the patient has received the enema he must turn over and be lifted upon the bedpan. For many patients this is a trying experience because many are too incapacitated to really sit up easily and the maneuver is accompanied with a great deal of pain. While this shifting of the patient is occurring, enema fluid and waste material is leaking from the patient onto the bed. This virtually necessitates changing of the bed covers and cleansing the patient after each enema. As a result, the patient is subjected to a great deal of unnecessary discomfort and embarrassment. An additional problem inherent in the use of a bedpan occurred when the patient's condition was such that he was incapable of being moved from a reclining position and therefore unable to sit on the bedpan. In these cases, when a patient is subject to such incapacity a bedpan is totally unsatisfactory.
The prior art contains numerous, generally unsatisfactory, attempts to develop an apparatus which facilitates the discharge of wastes by bedridden patients after they have received an enema. Unfortunately, these prior art devices were cumbersome and involved a relatively large outlay of capital. The central theme in a great number of prior art devices is the incorporation of the waste receptacle into the center of the bed or mattress. A hospital was then faced with a difficult problem. If all the beds incorporate the prior art design, unnecessary expenses are incurred because not every bed needs to have a waste receptacle incorporated into it. On the other hand, if only a portion of the hospital's beds contain a waste receptacle, the attentions of hospital personnel must be diverted from patient care while a proper allotment of the prior art beds to the necessary patients is made. While hospitals in the past may have been able to make these expenditures, this is no longer the case. It has been increasingly apparent that, as inflation is driving up the cost of medical services, a more economical and easier to use device is needed to assist in keeping hospital costs in an affordable range for the public.
Examples of the numerous attempts by other workers to solve the problem of waste receptacles for bedridden patients are typified in such U.S. Pat. Nos. as Ishikawa, 3,943,583; Kappel, 3,323,146; Dickson, 2,618,787; Delisi et al, 2,533,774 and Marsan, 2,384,325. Each of these prior art patents incorporates a receptacle for wastes in the center of the bed. Ishikawa, 3,943,583, for instance, discloses a bed in which the main mattress is provided with a "through-hole" into which a commode or an auxiliary mattress may be positioned. On the other hand, Kappel, U.S. Pat. No. 3,323,146 teaches a hospital bed having a bedspring which is provided with an opening approximately at its center shaped to admit a bedpan. A receptacle in a cut-out center portion of the bed permits a patient to merely sit up to use the apparatus. These devices are satisfactory for ordinary patients who are capable of sitting upright but for those who must receive an enema or who are unable to leave a reclining position these devices may be used only with difficulty. An enema is administered to the patient while he is reclining on his side or on his back as previously noted. As the administration of an enema is often accompanied by leakage of the fluid and concomitant soiling of the bed as the patient is shifted to an upright position, these prior art devices were not satisfactory for they did not adequately prevent soiling when an enema was administered.
Other prior art patents are along the same lines as those noted above and, for the most part, also include an opening in the bed to receive wastes. However, these devices are directed towards assisting the patient into a comfortable position. These U.S. Pat. Nos. include Barnett, 3,503,083; Hiraga, 3,345,652; Beem et al, 2,699,772 and Beem et al, 2,500,743. Barnett, for example, provides an invalid's bed having foot and head sections which are each tiltably movable between a horizontal position and an approximately upright position. There is also a midsection wide enough to form a seat that remains in a horizontal position. Beem, U.S. Pat. No. 2,500,743 involves a bed having articulated parts that are movable to any number of varied positions wherein they cooperate to form a reclining seat for supporting a patient. Also, the prior art teaches the raising or lowering of the waste receptacle through the mattress by mechanical means. These U.S. Pat. Nos. include Kato, 3,922,735; Eckart et al, 2,674,747; Dry, 2,369,447 and Bruch, 1,918,896.
Frequently, a patient will be discharged from the hospital to recuperate at home. After incurring the cost of the hospitalization, many patients find it difficult to acquire the mechanized beds taught in the prior art. It is questionable whether the expense is warranted for a short convalescense. However, there is still a need for a waste receptacle that prevents soiling. As a result many people will rely on the ordinary bedpan for their needs and will encounter the difficulties already noted inherent in the use of a bedpan. Consequently, a light weight, low cost, easily installed enema waste receptacle was needed.